West Brom have a major advantage over rivals in play-off hunt, here is why: Opinion | OneFootball

A 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic last time out has moved West Brom up to ninth in the Championship table and just four points from the play-off places.

Whilst it's a deficit that is certainly within reach, with 11 games to go, Albion are cutting it fine if they are to finish in the top six. Of course, it's possible but the margin for error is going to be small.

However, pleasingly for Albion, they have every reason to feel that they won't slip up often during the run-in because of their very favourable fixture list.

The beauty of the Championship is its unpredictability but the Baggies under Carlos Corberan have generally defied that logic. Aside from the recent loss at Birmingham City, they haven't lost to a side below 14th in the table since he came in.

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So, with Albion set to play seven games against sides that are currently placed 16th and below, there has to be confidence that they can pick up a lot of points.

It's always hard to determine exactly what sort of points total is going to be needed to finish sixth in the table, but realistically you would think Corberan's men are going to need to win at least seven games to have a chance.

Therefore, that fixture list should offer encouragement that this is very much a possibility.

Another reason for optimism centres on the home form, which has been incredible under Corberan, with the side collecting 25 points from the 30 available under his guidance - and the only defeat was the first home game to Sheffield United.

With the defence looking extremely strong on home soil, everyone in the league knows that going to The Hawthorns is a difficult task and in a matter of months Corberan has managed to make it a fortress - something in-form Middlesbrough will acknowledge.

Of the remaining games, the supposedly tougher tests will come at home according to the league table, as Millwall, Sunderland and Norwich visit the Midlands but the Baggies will not fear anyone.

Ultimately, we are approaching a critical period of the Championship season and Albion will need to have a very strong end to the campaign if they're to keep their promotion dream alive.